1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus, and more specifically, to an airbag apparatus suitable for mounting on a saddle-riding type vehicle in which a storage space for an airbag body is not typically easily secured.
2. Description of the Background Art
Airbags are well known and in widespread use in four-wheeled vehicles, particularly for mounting on a four-wheeled vehicle for alleviating an impact applied to an occupant during a collision of the vehicle. In recent years, it is proposed to mount the airbag apparatus not only on four-wheeled vehicles, but also on saddle-riding type vehicles such as motorcycles.
For example, in the motorcycle described in JP-A-2000-219884, the airbag is supported by a vehicle body and is capable of moving with respect to a center of rotation of a handle at a position between the handle and a wind-shielding member covering the region forward of the handle. In this motorcycle, the airbag is inflated laterally with respect to the vehicle body along the handle.
The present inventors have determined that the following problems exist in the aforementioned airbag apparatus of the background art. The airbag apparatus is typically disposed on the front side of the handle of the motorcycle. However, depending on the shape of the vehicle, a sufficient space cannot be secured in front of the handle. When providing the airbag apparatus between the handle and a wind-shielding member, a space for storing the airbag must be secured in advance, since it is difficult to mount the airbag after assembly.